Barr Trail Mountain Race

Sunday 7/18/2010
The alarm clock on Sunday morning went off at 4:00 AM. I immediately nixed my plans to run over to the start of the race, and went back to sleep until 5:00 AM. When the alarm clock went off again, I lay there for a few minutes trying to decide if I really wanted to get up and go do the race. Heading downstairs, I ate a bagel and a banana, trying to get some fuel in me with enough time left over for it to get into my system before the race started at 7:00 AM.
I drove over and parked at Memorial Park at 6:00 AM, and ran up Ruston Ave. for a warm-up. At the starting line, I found my fellow Attack Pack members; Josh, Ramsey, Carey, and Scott. We hung out and got close to the starting line just a few minutes before the race actually started. I have found it is some much better to be at the front of the race, letting other folks pass you rather than having to fight your way forward through the sea of humanity encountered at a typical Pikes Peak region running event.
Heading up Ruxton Ave. from the Cog Railway depot, the road gets very steep for a short time. I was quickly reduced to a walk, as I have never quite had it in me to run this section. Beyond that we ran/walked up onto dirt road and then the trail that eventually intersects with the real Barr Trail. Kristy and her niece were waiting at the intersection in order to cheer us on. Upwards through the W’s, we ran and walked. I managed to get ahead of everyone else from the Attack Pack by running in some areas that I would have normally walked on a training run.
However, the race isn’t just to the top of the W’s, and Carey reeled me back in and passed somewhere between No Name Creek and Barr Camp. Along the way, we encountered several nice aid stations that local high school running teams had set up. Ramsey wasn’t too far behind me at Barr Camp, and it wasn’t long before he passed and then I was in 3rd place. Ramsey is typically one of the faster racers in our group. At the start of the race he admitted to having been sick the night before and was still feeling quite poorly even then. By Barr Camp though, he must have sweated out all of whatever had been ailing him because he was in fine form, rocketing back down the trail.
After Ramsey passed me, I decided to pick up the pace a little and started to lean into my running, with a short, quick cadence stride. Normally I am a hesitant downhill runner, especially wanting to save my knees for the Leadville 100. Also I have taken several epic tumbles this past year during training runs. Today, I decided to let it fly a little more than usual, praying to God for a safe passage. Somewhere, as I got into the top of the W’s I caught back up with and passed Carey, as she doesn’t like downhill running either. We ended up stroking it back down to Ruxton Ave. and finishing pretty much together. Kristy and her niece were still waiting at the trail intersection and cheered us on again as we blazed by, heading to the finish.
Coming down Ruxton, I really started to turn it on after I had hit the pavement. Usually going down the steep part of Ruxton is harder even than coming up it. I had it in mind to sprint to the finish. So, I was pretty surprised when I was directed back uphill to finish in the parking lot for the Barr Trail trailhead. I guess the race director wanted to make sure there was one final sting in the dragon’s tail!
Ramsey finished in 2 hours 26 minutes. Carey and I crossed the line at 2 hours 29 minutes. Josh was pretty wasted by the run and finished a few minutes later. We all stuck around and waited for Scott to finish. Then Josh, Ramsey, and I ran back down Ruxton to where we had parked our vehicles at Memorial Park. It was a good race and one I will probably do again. Now I am looking forward to a rest day tomorrow before getting back to more training.

Leadman Act Two

I feel a little guilty sitting here taking time to write on a Sunday afternoon knowing that folks are still running up in Leadville for the Silver Rush 50 mile Trail Run. Yes it is a Sunday afternoon, and I am sitting here at home feeling more than a little exhausted. My Silver Rush was yesterday (7/17/10); the 50 mile mountain bike race and I also participated in the Barr Trail Mountain Run this morning. So, I got my kicks in, but I am also thinking of those that are still out on the trail, wishing them well.
Part 2 of the Leadman series took place this weekend, with the Silver Rush races. Folks taking part in the Leadman (or Leadwoman) series can take their pick from either the 50 mile mountain bike race and or the 50 mile run. I decided on the mountain bike race thinking that the chance for an injury was less, though admittedly I made that choice much earlier in the season before having spent a great deal of time on the bike or having done any runs of that distance. Still, having finished the mountain bike race without any mishaps, I am happy with decision.
Mountain biking is much more dangerous than running to me. Perhaps a lot of that is due to my skill level (or lack thereof) on the bike, and running basically takes no skills, just a lot of practice. Also, I completed the Wyoming Double Marathon at the end of May and came away from it without any serious injuries, such as IT band syndrome, etc. So, looking back now, I realize that either race would have been OK for me to take part in.
Both of the races start at the Cloud City Ski Hut on the southern edge of Leadville. I assume that both races have the same start, since the course maps looks identical on the Leadville 100 website. The start is straight up the ski hill. So, that means for the mountain bike, a mass hike-a-bike start, with everyone rushing to get to the top of the hill where the timing mats are located at a bottleneck leading back into the woods. The first male and first female to the top of the hill each get a silver coin, but I wasn’t too worried about being in that group. Still, I did hustle as best as I could to get to the top, not wanting to be stuck in a massive line of folks jostling for position to get across the timing mats.
After that, the course leads the riders up on jeep roads and such to the top of the Iowa Amphitheater. The jeep trails were incredibly dusty, probably because it had been a few days since any rain had fallen. Whatever the case, the amount of dust was beyond comprehension, and we just had to grin and bear it as we sucked great lungfuls of finely powered dust, licking our tongues across gritty teeth for the 1st 10 miles of the race.
At the top of the Iowa Amphitheater we left the jeep trails and got a nice descent for 4 miles or so back down a gravel road to reach the 1st aid station, Printer Boy, at mile 13.5. The 1st part of the course is not too steep, except for a short section just before the top of Iowa Amphitheater, where there is a little bit of muddy hike-a-bike. Printer Boy aid station is a welcome break and the treats are great. Folks are walking around trying to help you get bottles filled with water or Herbalife, and there are lots of great munchies too. I ate a cheese wrap, and it was awesome.
From Printer Boy, it is downhill for a ways, which is nice because it gives a opportunity for any food to settle a bit before having to get back to the business at hand, the mantra of Leadville eastside races; climbing. Thankfully though the Silver Rush races don’t follow the same start as the trail marathon did, because I can still remember how steep those trails were from 2 weeks ago.
Soon enough though, the race course starts to climb again, heading back to Ball Mountain, which we visited during the trail marathon. The climb up to the pass on its east side (elev. 1194) was still just as tough to climb. However once at the top of the pass, instead of taking the leisurely single track trail back around Ball Mountain’s north side, we screamed downhill on a very steep jeep trail that was strewn with loose rocks. It was at about this time that we started to encounter the faster riders (i.e. the winners) heading back in-bound. I wonder if there were any collisions on the north side of Ball Mountain, because it was all I could do to keep things under control during the descent, and I didn’t want to run into anybody who was trying to climb back up the hill. At the bottom of the descent, there was a single lane wooden bridge over a marshy spot, where we all had to take turns waiting to cross, and giving right of way to the in-bound folks.
More descending, along with a little level stuff, and even a little bit more climbing led to the next aid station, Stumptown, which was also the turnaround point. Just like at Printer Boy, the service and the snacks were great. I can’t say thanks enough to the awesome treatment the volunteers serve up at the Leadville races. Maybe this is a good time to bring up some time splits; I think I was 1 ½ hours to Printer Boy, and then another 1 ½ hours to Stumptown, close enough anyway. Another rider I spent some time beside mentioned at how we had gotten out of transition for the turnaround in 3 hours and 20 minutes, so we could probably make it back in to the finish in under 6 hours. Well, that turned out to be a little optimistic.
Heading back though felt pretty good. I was feeling good primarily because I figured that I was in good shape to meet the time cut-off of 8 hours. Based upon some of my training rides above Colorado Springs, I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take to ride 50 miles of trails in Leadville. Maybe I had let the race description of the Silver Rush 50 on the Leadville website psyche me out a bit too; “Many riders have likened it to the infamous Leadville Trail 100 with the easy parts removed.” Also I have had my lunch eaten pretty good by the trails up above Colorado Springs, where the uphill is all hike-a-bike, followed by a screaming, technical descent back into town. Well, all the hike-a-bike uphill training in Colorado Springs was serving me pretty good today, because they have a lot of that stuff here in Leadville too.
It wasn’t too long after turning around to head back that we encountered the steep, north side of Ball Mountain again. This time it was hike-a-bike hell, which seemed to take a good while. At the top, we hopped back on our bikes and began an equally steep descent back down the south side, though thankfully it wasn’t as loose as the north side. At the beginning of the race, I had seen someone riding around on a unicycle, which I thought was just another rider doing a warm-up. Well, I encountered the same unicyclist on his way up to the pass as I was heading down. I heard later that he made it to Stumptown 10 minutes after the half-way cut-off of 4 ½ hours. That blows me away. I can’t imagine how much harder it must have to cover that terrain on 1 wheel instead of 2. I shouted out some words of encouragement as we passed each other.
After the descent from the pass on Ball Mountain, there is a little more up, some nice downhill stuff, and then a gradual uphill climb to get back to Printer Boy aid station again. Along the way, I stopped to help another rider fix a flat, loaning him my air pump for a few minutes. Though I lost some time, I felt good about the chance to help someone in need. At the aid station, I grabbed another cheese wrap, which I had also done at Stumptown, and then headed back on the road to Leadville. I knew that most of the way to the finish was downhill, but first we had a little climb to get back up into the Iowa Amphitheater.
The gravel road up into the Iowa Amphitheater really worked me pretty good. It never got steep enough to have to get off the bike and hike it, though a few of the riders around me did just that. However, it took most of what I had left in me just to get up the thing in granny gear. The road meandered around various corners, teasing me into thinking that the top must be near, and no, my GPS must be wrong because surely it had to be less than 4 miles to the top. Well, the GPS was right. Well, maybe it was only 3.5 miles, but it surely was the longest part of the day.
After reaching the high point in the Iowa Amphitheater, it was mostly a nice descent back down into Leadville. Nice descent should be qualified a little bit I suppose. There were still lots of loose gravel and larger rocks to surf through on the way down. Letting your guard down wasn’t an option, as I witnessed a rider taking a head-over-heels tumble off to the side of the road. I stopped and asked if he was OK, after he said yes, I sped onwards, down the trail to the finish.
Slowly familiar landmarks from the morning started to emerge, letting me know I was getting closer and closer. So to, the dust clouds from the morning started to raise up again, even though there weren’t as many riders trying to negotiate the trail simultaneously at this point. I think I must have eaten 10 pounds of dust today. Finally, at the bottom of a steep hill with a sharp right hand turn, we encountered the one last steep uphill section where about 4 of us pushed our bikes to the top. Then it was a short downhill to the finish line; 6 hours and 17 minutes, good enough for 212th place overall. This was out of over 620 riders that had started the race.
So, I was pretty happy with the day; no injuries, no problems with the bike, and I was qualified to move on to the next Leadman event; the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race on August 14th. Setting my bike down, I grabbed a diet coke, went to stand in line for a Smash Burger, and called my wife Lisa to let her know I was finished. She was still up in town sightseeing and shopping.
It was totally awesome for Smash Burger to be an event sponsor. They had fresh, hot hamburgers and fries ready for all of the riders. I got a burger and fries and went to find a spot in the shade of one of the various tents that had been set up in the area to support the race. Lisa found me just as I was finishing eating.
After loading the bike back up into the vehicle, Lisa and I stuck around for the awards ceremony. The race winner’s time was an astounding 3 hours and 50 some odd minutes; good enough for a new course record. I suppose he probably rode his bike uphill on all those sections where a lot of us were hiking. After I collected my Silver Rush commemorative silver bracelet to go along with the very cool finisher’s medal, Lisa and took off back to Colorado Springs. It was 4:30 PM. We arrived home somewhere around 7:00 PM or so, and I spent the rest of the evening getting cleaned-up and readying stuff for the Barr Trail Mountain Race before going to bed around 8:30 PM.

2 Peaks - 26 Miles - 7.5 Hours

Am I a runner that climbs or am I a climber that runs? I have been pondering this thought today, as I began to mow the yard this evening after work, and continuing as I sit here to write a review of the day I had in the mountains this past Saturday, the 10th of July. Lately I have been feeling much more the runner, as that is what seems to consume most of my time. Maybe having the Leadville 100 looming as if it were a fast approaching freight train has something to do with that. Oh, let’s not forget bicycling too. This is to the point that some of my climbing friends have long since quit bugging me to get out to the crag. In particular I had to let down my friend Jeff Morgan this week, who was trying so hard to get me out this past Sunday afternoon to climb in Cheyenne Canyon, but I had some urgent business to attend with my mountain bike a little further up the canyon.
So, I have been a climber for many years now, and a runner for only a few. More and more am I attracted to the trail running, enabling me to move long distances up in the mountains that I love so much. If I can see some climbing taking place during the run, then I get especially psyched. That was the case with this past Saturday. I decided to try and enchain a few peaks in Lake County, in the Sawatch Range; Mt Oxford, Mt. Belford, and Missouri Mountain.
The plan seemed reasonable enough, and a good excuse for working in long run too. I would head up into the mountains from the Pine Creek trailhead just off of Highway 24, about 12 miles or so north of Buena Vista, CO. After running 10 miles or so up the valley, I could head straight up a steep ridge from the valley floor that leads directly to the summit of Mt. Oxford from a point just past Little John’s cabin. From the summit of Oxford, I would traverse over to the tag the top of Mt. Belford, and then continue onwards to Missouri Mountain, via its technical east ridge. Then I would run back down the valley from the trail that goes over Two Elks Pass to get back to my vehicle; total mileage, somewhere in the upper 20’s; maybe 26 miles or so.
For the most part, the above itinerary went OK. Running up the valley from the Pine Creek trailhead was some time well spent in one of those achingly beautiful, remote Colorado mountain valleys (left the trailhead at 7:00 AM). At the junction of the Pine Creek trail and the Colorado Trail, I got a little confused. The guide I had didn’t mention anything about crossing Pine Creek on a little bridge that was hidden on my right. Fortunately I didn’t run south on the Colorado Trail long before nagging doubts forced me to turn around, where I found the bridge OK and continued heading up the valley.
Little John’s cabin certainly added to the ambiance of the valley (Arrived 9:00 AM). The ridge from the cabin up to the top of Oxford was truly steep and relentless; thankfully it never turned into anything grossly loose (on the summit by 10:30 AM) (that's when my camera battery decided to die!). Journeying from Oxford over to Belford was fantastic; being able to run down from the summit of Oxford and across the dividing ridge at that kind of elevation, and then a quick power hike up to the summit of Belford (the trip from Oxford only took ½ hour!).
At that point things started to go a little wrong; mainly in the form of uncooperative weather. It was about 10:30 AM in the morning; low grey clouds scudded across the sky, and from time to time small amounts of graupel (icy pellets) fell to ground. One lady in particular on the summit of Mt. Belford tried to warn me about a predicted storm that was imminently closing in on us (got into my kitchen and rattled my pots and pans around). The whole scene was enough to start letting seeds of doubt creep into my psyche about the safety of continuing on to climb Missouri Mountain. At least I knew that from the top of Belford, the path home lay beyond me, towards Missouri Mountain, at the top of Two Elks Pass, where I would need to decide between climbing and descending.
It was only a short run down to the pass, where soon I stood pondering the east ridge of Missouri Mountain; so close it looked. The graupel seemed to pick up in intensity. That made the decision to head down off the pass and away from the mountain much easier. I put my faith in God, and He always takes where I need to be. Missouri Mountain would wait for another day.
Running back down the valley was awesome, beginning with easy cruising in some beautiful scenery above tree-line. Little John’s cabin took a little while to get back to; I think it was just before 1:00 PM when I got there, making it 2 hours of downhill running from the top of Two Elks Pass back to the cabin. From the cabin, I was able to get back to the trailhead by 2:30 PM.
Hmmm… that’s 2 hours up the valley from the trailhead to the cabin. 1 ½ hours to climb the ridge from the cabin to the summit of Oxford. ½ hour over to Belford. Another ½ hour to Two Elks Pass, and then 2 hours back down to the cabin again. Finally, 1 ½ hours back down from the cabin to the trailhead. Looking back, I think it must have been further from the top of the pass back to the cabin than it was from the cabin to the trailhead. Since I don’t rock with a GPS watch, it’s kind of hard to tell what the total distance for the day was, but I am guessing that it was around 26 miles or so. My total round trip time was 7 ½ hours.
Perhaps the distance would have been further by a mile or two with the inclusion of Missouri Mountain, and certainly the car-to-car time greater, but it’s something I would not know for that day. The looked for storm never materialized that afternoon beyond a single clap of thunder I heard while I was somewhere between the pass and the cabin. I was pretty tired and satisfied with the day by the time I got back to the vehicle; no regrets. Somewhere in the last couple of miles back to trailhead, I managed to stub my left big toe hard enough that later the nail would start to turn purple at its base. At least I stayed upright the whole day, and didn’t fall down to roll in the rocks or play in the dirt. I was very thankful for that.
Sunday I was up all too early again, having volunteered to help out with the Summer Roundup Run. Helping out with the race was a blast, and something that I look forward to trying again. Had to leave a little early though, because I had to hustle over to church and help with the sound system. After an awesome lunch of BLT sandwiches with Lisa, I hit Stratton Open Space, then the Columbine Trail, up to the 7 Bridges Trail (which I strongly don’t recommend trying with a bicycle), and back down through Jones Park via Bear Creek Canyon, and back to the house in time for fish tacos with Lisa and Jubal; 25 miles, 4.5 hours; ouch!

Failure on the RTP

Today I had set off to try and fulfill a dream of riding my mountain bike on a trail system that surrounds Pikes Peak. It is known as the Ring the Peak Trail (RTP). Only I didn’t do well, managing about a little less than half-way before having to call it quits; more on that later.
Failure, if used properly, can shape our character more than any string of successes. Not that we don’t learn and benefit from what we do well. It is sometimes the sheer frustration of not being able to accomplish what we have set out to do that can push to work harder and perhaps succeed when given the chance to try again. At least that is what I hope I can use today for…
I had wanted to give the RTP trail a try since discovering it on the Internet deep within the dark recesses of last Colorado’s winter, when summertime mountain bike riding in the high country can only be dreamed of. Knowing what my training schedule needs to be for the Leadman series this summer, I thought that perhaps the time to give it a try was now at hand. So, while hanging out and resting up on Sunday from the Leadville Trail Marathon, I thought I would get ready and try for another big adventure for Monday July 5th, since I had the day off because the 4th was on a Sunday.
I had spent the afternoon of the 4th getting all of my perpetrations done; printing out maps, getting a water purifier and some energy food and drinks from REI, and a few spare parts from Criterium Cycles here in Colorado Springs. Everything seemed to be going well, and I went to bed that Sunday evening with the satisfaction that I had tried as best I could to be ready for the next day.
Somewhere deep within the night I was awoken to the sounds of tremendous lightning and thunder. As my wife came to bed, she informed me that there was a flash flood watch from Chipita Park down to Manitou Springs that was going to last until 1:00 AM. I didn’t give it much thought at the time, thinking that I was heading out a few hours later in the morning, and the weather forecast was supposed to be clear for Monday. Little did I know how big a factor that storm was going to play in my day.
Getting up at 3:30 AM, I ate some breakfast and made my last minute preparations. I was headed out the door by 4:20 AM or so, pedaling my down Cucharras St, heading west towards Manitou Springs. Being all too familiar with the way to Manitou, it wasn’t long before I was huffing and puffing my way up Ruxton Ave. Though today was the first time I was riding a bike up it instead of running; neither, it turns out, is very easy. Turing right just before the Cog Railroad, I made my way onto the Ute Pass Trail and got a brief respite before the trail reared its ugly uphill head and forced me off into some hike-a-bike.
The trail was in OK shape, a little loose from the rain, but not muddy. I made it over the 3 hills of the Ute Pass Trail, getting to ride a little on the downhill side; it’s interesting how this trail is one of a kind in that it is advertised as being uphill both ways. Just go look at the Incline Club website. Somewhere in the process of negotiating the Ute Pass Trail it got light enough for me to turn off my headlight on my bike. Soon I was heading downhill to where the trail ends and the rider must get out on Highway 24 for a bit.
Highway 24 scares me. There is not much of a shoulder and the cars are screaming by, making a mad dash towards the west to whatever high country destination the driver has in mind. Fortunately for the RTP rider, there is only about 1 mile of the highway that has to be ridden before taking a left turn to get into Chipita Park on the road for the Pikes Peak Highway and the North Pole. At the fork in the road where the Pikes Peak Highway heads uphill, I veered off to the right, heading off on Chipita Park Road to find Picabo Road. Finding the road is pretty easy, but the directions for the RTP get a little vague from there; “head uphill on Picabo until it intersects with Mountain Road, where the rider should take a sharp left turn, and find the Mt Esther Trail within 100’ or so”. What actually happens is that Picabo and Mountain Road merge with each other without any kind of signage indicating the event. There happens to be an unsigned dirt road that takes off to the left at the very top of the crest for Picabo/Mountain Road, and that is the sharp left turn that should be taken. The reality of the matter is that Picabo Road is hideously steep. There are a couple of roads that could be taken to the right, such as Ute or Maveta Way that might take a little of the edge off the ascent. If you are planning on trying this trail, it might be useful to MapQuest Chapita Park to suss out the roads a little bit.
After a few false turns trying to figure out where the junction of Picabo and Mountain Roads were. I finally spotted a tiny wooden sign off in the weeds that indicated I was at the Mount Esther trailhead; paydirt! I was expecting something a little more obvious, but was very happy at being back on track and on the trail again. Peering up through the overgrown trees and weeds, I saw a set of stairs heading uphill, and I followed them.
The Mount Esther Trail is really steep, gaining a lot of elevation to get up onto Pikes Peak in a short amount of time. Lots of stairs are on the trail as well as numerous switchbacks. I don’t think I was able to ride my bike for any great length of time between hike-a-bike sessions all the way to the top of the trail. Eventually I did stop for a few moments to refuel and take in the scenery, marveling at how much elevation gain there was from where I could peer back down into Colorado Springs. I think that by the time I had gotten to the top of the rise, I had gained something like 3,000’ in elevation.
At the top, the rider is rewarded with some singletrack, but there reward doesn’t last too long. This section of the trail is rolling, and the uphill sections are still a tough climb. Everyone once in a while I encountered a log across the trail and dismounted to get past. Eventually I worked my way onto a utility right of way for a power line. At the top I turned around and was amazed that the view seemed to open up directly onto downtown Colorado Springs. The RTP veers off to the right of the right of way and heads back into some more interesting singletrack.
After negotiating a short technical section, I felt something funny going on with my rear wheel and looked down to see that my tire was flat. Guess that I should admit here to having been lucky enough to have not had a flat tire before. So, just past dawn, I started to get some practice in the art of changing a flat tire. First thing I noticed was that the sidewall of my real tire was blown out. Not sure how that happened; had I been building up to it, or had it just happened, as none of the riding I had done that morning seemed too severe. The tire change went pretty smoothly, but I felt a little uneasy thinking that I only had one more spare tube until I realized that the folks at Criterium had also talked me into purchasing a patch kit; those guys rock. So, it was with a little easier state of mind that I took off back down the trail again, completing the last of the Chipita Park section of trail before getting on the service roads that head around the reservoirs encountered on this side of Pikes Peak.
I am not familiar with all of the reservoirs or their names; seems like they are Crystal Creek Reservoir, South Catamount and North Catamount. However, the roads in this section allow for some time to be made up for all of the hiking that went on the Mt Esther Trail. You go down some and you go back up some. While cruising through this section of the trail, I started to notice a build-up of hail in the shady areas off to the side of the road. Must have been leftovers from the storm last night; looks like they got hit pretty hard up here in the high country.
Eventually the trial leaves the road network and heads off onto the Limber Pine Trail. It was here that I started to notice just how significant the build-up of hail was having an effect on the trail. All of the hail, several inches deep in some areas, had kind of congealed together to form a sheet of ice! It was cold too. However, the ice was a concern to me because I remember just how hard it was to ride on the stuff from last winter when I first got my bike and had learned a few hard lessons about negotiating the stuff. For the most part it was better to not try and negotiate ice!
Soon enough the Limber Pine Trail gives way to some old logging roads, kind of a double track section of trail. There were a few deeper puddles here and there on the logging road, causing me to have to switch sides from time to time. I decided to stop and have a snack and refill my water bottle from my CamelBack, and mix up some more CytoMax. I was getting tired from the effort. Looking at my GPS, I had gone a depressingly short distance for all the hours I had been in the saddle; something like 5 hours at this point, and I had only been 25 miles.
The next 5 miles were the crux of the day and also what caused me to eventually throw in the towel. As I went further on the trail, the hail/ice got deeper and deeper. In the shaded uphill sections, it got to where I couldn’t ride at all as my tires were filling with ice and refusing to get any traction. On the downhill parts I had to ride slowly in order to stay in control and not slip on the ice. I wasn’t making any time at all. This part of the trail seemed to last for a long time. There were sections of the trail that were really pretty, but the tedium of the ice took away from most of the enjoyment of the moment.
Eventually I made it down to the road between the Crags Campground and the Mennonite Camp. Here I had a choice; I could continue on the trail over to Horsethief Park and enjoy more of the same slow, icy progress or head down the road to Highway 67. I decided to head down to Highway 67. On the way down, I had visions in my head of continuing on the highway over to Gillette and trying to get back on Gold Camp road in order to have a chance of finishing the ride or at least completing a circumnavigation of the peak. However, upon reaching Highway 67, I remembered how much uphill there was to reach Gillette, and was also dismayed by how heavy the traffic was. So, it was with some reluctance and a little shame that I turned my bike towards Divide, ready to give up on the day.
Knowing Highway 67 really well from having done a lot of work on the casinos in Cripple Creek, I knew exactly where I would pick up cell phone reception. I stopped at the crest of the last rise before descending into Divine and called my wife Lisa to ask/beg/plead with her to come pick me up in Divide and give me a ride back down into Colorado Springs. I was whipped. I am so thankful to have her in my life, to pick me back up and dust me off when my playtime goes wrong.
Sitting in the parking lot of the Western Convenience store in Divide waiting for my wife, a group of Harley Davidson motorcycles rumbled to stop beside me. They had Texas plates. One of the riders got off and asked me if I knew where Mount Evans was. I told him they were quite a ways from Mount Evans and that the big mountain off to our south was Pikes Peak. Also I gave him directions on how to get to Evans; head north to Denver and west on I-70 until you get to Idaho Springs. They took off on their bikes; I wonder if they got there?
Lisa showed up soon after; my rescuer, and took me back to Colorado Springs. Though I would have preferred to still be out on the trail, sanity had prevailed. I wasn’t prepared for the severity of the challenge of the trail, and the trail conditions were a nightmare. Also I had not brought along enough food for the calories I was going to need to complete the day. All of these were lessons I will need to dwell on for my next attempt. See; we do learn and benefit from our failures. The scenery on the way home was spectacular and had taken on a whole new meaning. While staring out of the window, looking to the south, I could tell myself that I had ridden every inch of it until we pulled into the driveway at home. 7 hours, 35 miles, 5,700’ elevation gain.

Leadman – Act One

It is our journeys that define us. Sometimes we set out on them intentionally, knowing where the beginning was and with what original purpose we started. None can know with certainty what the ending or change within ourselves will be.
Occasionally we can accurately predict the outcome based upon past, similar situations. Other times we can only hope to achieve the purpose that we have kindled within, knowing that we are truly venturing beyond any familiar harbors, sailing upon a sea of change that we know not the boundaries of or whether we have the capacity within ourselves to meet any challenge upon which we may chance.
It is with these thoughts that I now set upon my Leadman challenge. One upon which I have risen to accept, but the ending of which I can only hope. I have felt this way before, thinking back upon when I volunteered for the Special Forces. Of course I wasn’t sure enough of myself at all then, where inside myself I questioned what I dared think I had inside me that might rise up to meet the standard upon which I was to be judged. After successfully completing training with the Special Forces and earning the “Green Beret”, I can say that it was heart and faith that saw the finisher through much more than talent or might ever ruled the day.
Knowing this, I can only guess of what lies ahead of me, having never attempted, much less completed some of the distances that lie before me this summer.
The Leadman begins with the Leadville Trail Marathon; 26.2 miles, climbing to an elevation of 13,185’ within an 8 ½ hour time limit. In its entirety, the Leadman is an ultra endurance racing series consisting of 5 events, all of which are based out of Leadville, CO. 2 Weeks after the trail marathon, there is the Silver Rush weekend where the participant can chose from either a 50 mile mountain bike race or a 50 mile trail run. I am going to try the mountain bike race. Just a little less than a month after that, things really get busy with the Leadville Trail 100 mile-mountain bike race on a Saturday. The day after, on Sunday morning, there is a 10K race. On the following Saturday, the Leadville Trail 100-mile run is held. Each race has a cut-off or time limit that has to be met, or the racer cannot advance to the following event and complete the Leadman (or Leadwoman).
Standing at the entrance of Leadville, I felt as though I was venturing upon hallowed ground, where so many have treaded before me. Many who are faster and better at what we are doing; probing the limits of human endurance and desire. My wife Lisa was beside me, waiting patiently in our vehicle, as I took a moment to soak in the scenery. She had kindly volunteered to come up and hang out on race day, even though I know she finds it pretty boring to wait while I am out running around.
Who wouldn’t be bored with endless hours of standing around at a start/finish line or at an aid station waiting for their loved one or fiend to show up? At least Leadville was a small town, where Lisa could park the vehicle and get out to indulge in her favorite activity; shopping. My hat is off and I salute all of those who are caring enough to even think of coming out to cheer us on at a race, which for most of us is purely a personal accomplishment and a triumph only in our minds, as most of us will never grace a podium, destined always to lurk somewhere back in the pack.
Since we had made good progress on our drive up from Colorado Springs, we had a little bit of time to blow after picking up my packet at the 6th Street Gym. We found a nice coffee shop out on Harrison and got Lisa some breakfast. I had eaten a pre-race meal about 2 hours prior to the race start while we were driving. A little enviously, I sat and watched Lisa have a more regular breakfast of fresh brewed coffee and a delicious looking ham and cheese croissant. I made some small talk with some of the other racers who were killing time in the coffee shop too. I was surprised to find that the couple seated across from me had arrived from Florida just the day before. Leadville is high enough in elevation to be boarder line dangerous of developing a high altitude sickness. I hoped they were going to feel OK for the race that day since they had been up at elevation for over 24 hours now.
After Lisa ate breakfast, I went back to our vehicle and fussed with getting the last of my gear ready for the race. I wouldn’t be carrying any fluids with me, but I would take some gels, Enduralyte caps, arm-warmers, a jacket, toilet paper and baby wipes, and a camera in a hydration pack. This has proven to be a pretty good combination for me before in some recent races. Since there were going to be aid stations every 3 miles or so, I didn’t think I would need to be carrying anything to drink with me. I also spent a few minutes rolling around in the parking lot on one of my wife’s beach towels, using a foam roller, which my good friend Kristy Milligan, had given me to help loosen up my IT band and hamstrings. If I can make it through the summer without being sidelined due to injury, I will probably owe that entirely to Kristy for having bestowed half of her foam roller upon me; letting me saw it into 2 pieces in the parking lot of Memorial Park in Manitou Springs one blustery Saturday morning back in May when we were doing a Garden of the Gods rehearsal run.
With a few minutes to spare, Lisa and I ambled back up to the start/finish area. I wondered in the back of my mind if I was messing up by not having done a warm-up run, but the time to the start of the race was drawing too near to change things. Luckily I was able to get in line for one last visit to the bathroom, and actually make it into the bathroom, with just a couple of minutes to start time left over. Soon Ken Chlouber hoisted his shotgun into the air and; boom! We were off. Off that is running up the streets of Leadville.
I put an emphasis on up, because that is what half of this race seems to be. Conversely, what goes up must come down. In the Leadville Trail Marathon there just doesn’t seem to be very much of the in-between; flatter or less inclined running that is. I was shocked at how steep and sustained the first 4 miles of the race are. Loose too, as in the trail is covered with a lot of loose rocks, making the footing somewhat treacherous. That is what it takes to get to the 1st aid station, Aid Station A.
From there the trail rolls around the side of Ball Mountain. Still there is a lot more up and less down when going outbound around Ball Mountain. However, the views really start to open up, with high peaks and 14teeners gracing the horizon. Though the uninitiated among us don’t know it yet, we could also see exactly where we are going as Mosquito Pass lurks in front of us. The realization of our destination will soon be undeniable. The trail around Ball Mountain also becomes a true single track trail for a little while. Most of the running for the whole race consists of jeep trails and dirt roads, but for a little bit around Ball Mountain, there is some real single-track heaven.
Coming back into Aid Station A again, we then turned down a dirt road for a fast-paced descent down to Aid Station B. A lot of this part of the race is through the heart of the historic mining district to the east of Leadville. It is very interesting to observe the old mines and realize too this is where people had put forth lots more effort than we were currently exerting, all in the name of survival, and today we were just involved in having fun. It also occurs to me that absolutely nothing grows on mine tailings.
During the descent to Aid Station B, I fell in beside another person from Colorado Springs, who introduced himself as Ron. He was wearing an Ironman St. George, UT finisher’s shirt. So, I couldn’t resist striking up a conversation since I had participated in that event too. It wasn’t long before we both owned up to having signed up for the Leadman, so I guess we will be seeing a lot of each other over the course of this summer.
The aid stations in the Leadville Trail Marathon are very nice. They have lots of goodies to eat; cookies, potato chips, M&M’s, cantaloupe, watermelon. PB& J sandwiches, Power Gel, PowerAid, soda, and water. I probably shouldn’t have, but ended up diving into the cookies and chips when I should have stuck with the Power Gels. Who can resist though; I can’t because I am a cookie monster. However, I would pay for this later. At each aid station there were also a couple of porta-potties, of which I would have to use due to too many cookies I think.
Upon reaching Aid Station B, I stopped to walk through the aid station, just as I was doing at all of them, grabbing a handful of things to eat and a cup full of water. I ended up walking out of the aid stations still eating and trying to drink the whole cup of water. Since the trash boxes were so close to the said station itself, I always seemed to end up stuffing my crumpled cups inside the front pockets of my shorts and then trying to remember to throw them away at the next aid station. I also ate an Enduralyte cap at each aid station.
From the time I left Aid Station B, I think I walked up to the top of Mosquito Pass without running at all. Mosquito Pass is something else. It is really steep; I mean really steep and rocky too. Did I mention steep? I forgot to say that the trail was really rocky too. I mean the kind of baby head sized rocks that are perfect for rolling an ankle on or falling down and rolling around on the ground with. I prayed, and God protected me from all harm and danger, and I managed to stay on my feet all day.
Heading up Mosquito Pass was where I started to meet folks who were headed back the other way. I was surprised to see several runners who were wearing sandals. I didn’t see many Vibram Five Fingers, which I was expecting to, due to the popularity of the book Born to Run and the current barefoot running craze. However, I did see a very Native American looking gentleman flying down the Mosquito Pass trail in sandals that looked to me to have very recently come from a pair of tires. Wow, I was in awe. Here I was praying about just staying upright and whole in my padded running shoes, and here comes what I had only been reading about.
The pass seemed to go on forever, or at least uphill for a very long time. For every runner who passed us going downhill, I started counting how many were wearing a marathon number. I knew that Mike Shafai, from Colorado Springs, was somewhere in front of me, as he is a very talented athlete and fast runner. I think I had counted up to around 20 when I finally recognized Mike coming down the hill towards me. I shouted out an encouraging greeting. He shouted back that we didn’t have too far to go before we would get to run some “free miles”. I chuckled to myself at that; it was way obvious that running back down Mosquito Pass was going to be as hard as walking up it and very heads up too, not exactly relaxing downhill running.
At the top of the pass the wind was howling. I stopped for a moment to snap a picture of the sign explaining the history of the place and wandered into Aid Station C for a snack before heading back down. Try as hard as I could, I didn’t remember to tell the folks at the aid station thanks for hanging out and supporting us. Given the conditions, the cold wind and the altitude, I am sure their job was a hard as our play.
Heading back down the pass, I ran a slow pace to make sure I stayed on my feet and didn’t damage anything else, like an ankle or knee, etc. Ron took off like a streak back down the pass. Before long, I fell in beside another face I recognized from the Mount Evans Ascent a few weeks prior. He had done this race before. As we made our way back down into Aid Station B for the 2nd time, he told me that the way back up to Aid Station A would “separate the men from the boys” as in the road we ran down earlier would be surprisingly steep on the way back up. I gulped to myself, thinking that here he was throwing down the gauntlet, and I am always too stupid and ready to pick the dang thing back up again. I am sure that is not how he intended it, probably as more of a hope or desire about his own performance, but I took it as a motivator for myself.
Before we reached Aid Station B, my tummy was rumbling at me with the all too familiar feeling of GI distress. Thankfully I found an unoccupied porta-potty upon arrival at the aid station and took care of business in relative efficiency, as efficient as that sort of thing can be when one should really be out running instead. After a subsequent visit to the buffet of Aid Station B, I began walking up the road until I finished drinking the entire cup of water. From that point on I tried to run for 100 meters and then walk 100 meters. For the most part it worked except for a few sections that were just too steep for me to run.
From the top of the road, I made a quick stop at Aid Station A and then reversed my course around Ball Mountain. By this time I was getting a little tired and needed to walk most of the uphill sections. Maybe I was walking because the uphill sections were really steep too. They seem to specialize in this commodity on the east side of Leadville. After walking back up to Aid Station A again, for the final time, I was directed to “head around the tent and back downhill into Leadville”, only 4 miles away.
At first the downhill was really severe, the same trail we had walked up earlier in the morning. Running down them I went pretty slowly so as to make sure I didn’t stumble and trip, especially due to my increasingly tired state. 2 things were going through my mind at this point; 1st was that I hoped that the Leadville 100-mile trail run had some less steep terrain or I am going to be in trouble. I can’t image what running 4 Leadville Trail Marathons would be like. 2nd I was praying that we would not be using these same roads for the Silver Rush 50 mountain bike race in 2 weeks time. I’ll get back to you on that one, but there may be some major hike-a-bike involved.
After I started getting closer to Leadville, the steepness and looseness of the road/trail started to ease up a bit. I began to recognize a few landmarks from the morning that signaled how close I was getting to town. Glancing down at my watch, I realized that I could make it back in less than 6 hours if I started to pour it on a bit. So, from the point at which I crossed the paved bike path on the east edge of town, I really started to run at a faster cadence and lean into the running, ala some Chi running. It helped as I could noticeably detect my pace increasing without putting much more of a strain on my lower body, since I was still running downhill.
Turning down onto 6th Street, I could see the finish line ahead. I sprinted the last few yard in, pumped my fist in the air for my personal victory, and slapped the finish banner; 5 hours and 40 minutes after the shotgun blast that morning. Typical finish line stuff ensued; a medal around the neck, removal of the timing chip, realization of not having to move anymore, and snacks; lovely snacks and cold drinks. Unfortunately my wife Lisa was nowhere to be found. I had told her my goal time was between 6 hours and 6 ½ hours. She had checked the finish area at 5:20, and then gone back to shop again in the stores. She returned to the finish line at few minutes after 6 hours. In the meantime, I had snacked and drank a Sprite and a PowerAid, and cheered in the next few runners. Somewhere in this process I missed Lisa and began to walk back down to our vehicle.
Lisa caught up with me as I was rolling around on my foam roller in the parking lot again, trying to loosen up. We decided to skip out on the after race dinner and awards ceremony, wanting to get back down to Colorado Springs and look after our 2 kitties and doggie, who were probably going to be hungry and thirsty by the time we got back. Unfortunately as we got in the vehicle to leave, it would not start, having a dead battery, for what reason I do not know; maybe we accidently left something on. Having gone through this before, I dug into the recesses of my secret stash and produced a set of jumper cables. It didn’t take too long to find a very kind person, another runner, in the parking lot that jumped us off, and we were soon under way.
Lisa volunteered to drive. I spent the time as we left town digesting the view and the miles thinking of what lies ahead of me this summer, all within just a short period of time away. In the past I would have slept, being totally exhausted and drained after a race of this distance. Maybe it is a good thing that I had a little more left in the tank and spent the time sharing with Lisa how her day went, and trying to describe my feelings about the race to her instead of snoozing. Maybe I will need that kind of energy in the next several weeks ahead.
Leadman – Act One, the Trail Marathon is done, and I think I did OK. I am happy with my time, and equally happy not to have damaged anything. Next up is a just a little 50 mile mountain bike ride.
The Leadville Trail Marathon 2010